Battery SLOWLY Dying

[koolaid_kid]

I strongly suggest not trying any shortcuts. I prefer the ring connector to physically touch the item being grounded, hence two wires.
Why not re-use the 6 gauge wire that is currently going from the engine to the battery? Instead of it going to the engine, run it to the bolt. Then run an 8 or 10 from the engine to the bolt.

[Legionnaire]

I strongly suggest not trying any shortcuts. I prefer the ring connector to physically touch the item being grounded, hence two wires.
Why not re-use the 6 gauge wire that is currently going from the engine to the battery? Instead of it going to the engine, run it to the bolt. Then run an 8 or 10 from the engine to the bolt.

Okay well I will put on on the starter side and one of the rectifier side. Also it's a pre-made 6 gauge cable going from the engine to the bolt, so I am gonna leave it as is, cause it's the right size and I will go out and get a short 6 gauge for the bolt to the battery connection. I don't know if I can find a 6 gauge that short haha, and isn't it REALLY hard to make a 6 gauge cable manually?

The lights/blinkers also have a ground I have that on it's own ground or should I add it to the star?

[Steve]

Why not re-use the 6 gauge wire that is currently going from the engine to the battery? Instead of it going to the engine, run it to the bolt. Then run an 8 or 10 from the engine to the bolt.

Personally, I would leave the 6 gauge from the engine to the battery. That is the one that is going to have to handle the starter current, which can easily be 50 amps or more.

Nothing else on the bike is going to exceed 25 amps, so 10 gauge is fine for that.

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[koolaid_kid]

Good point. Do you have everything to make that happen?

[Legionnaire]

Personally, I would leave the 6 gauge from the engine to the battery. That is the one that is going to have to handle the starter current, which can easily be 50 amps or more.

Nothing else on the bike is going to exceed 25 amps, so 10 gauge is fine for that.

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Okay so leave it as is... then run a 8-10 gauge from the negative battery terminal to the bolt or a 8-10 gauge from the engine to the bolt?

[Legionnaire]

Good point. Do you have everything to make that happen?

Yeah that's easy cause it's already wired up, I just need to get the 8-10 gauge wire just don't know where it should go^

[koolaid_kid]

Leave the one 6 gauge wire from the engine to the battery. Run one 10 gauge wire from the battery to the bolt. Run 2 10 gauge wires from the solenoid and the R/R to the bolt.
The bonus of the bolt is if you add more stuff, you can just ground that to the bolt as well, minimizing the number of connections to the battery.
Make sense?

[Legionnaire]

Leave the one 6 gauge wire from the engine to the battery. Run one 10 gauge wire from the battery to the bolt. Run 2 10 gauge wires from the solenoid and the R/R to the bolt.
The bonus of the bolt is if you add more stuff, you can just ground that to the bolt as well, minimizing the number of connections to the battery.
Make sense?

I made 12 gauge wires to ground the solenoid to the bolt is that too small? Or should I definitely go get some 10 gauge?

[Steve]

The solenoid itself will be well-grounded with a 20-gauge wire. You are only passing enough current to activate the magnet.

However, if you use that same wire to also ground the R/R, it should be at least a 12 gauge wire, if not a 10.

Since you already seem to have some 10 gauge wire handy, keep going with that.

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[Legionnaire]

The solenoid itself will be well-grounded with a 20-gauge wire. You are only passing enough current to activate the magnet.

However, if you use that same wire to also ground the R/R, it should be at least a 12 gauge wire, if not a 10.

Since you already seem to have some 10 gauge wire handy, keep going with that.

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I actually only have 12 gauge wire handy is that good for battery to bolt?

[Steve]

Depends on what all else is going to be connected to the bolt.

If the R/R is going to be connected there, make the wire bigger.

If the R/R is connected somewhere else, 12 gauge is fine.

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[koolaid_kid]

Steve, I have suggested that he use this in posplayr's star configuration. What gauge wire should he use if everything is grounded there? Even things he may add later, like an accessory plug, battery tender, etc.

[Legionnaire]

Okay everyone!! My electronics are working BEAUTIFULLY! I ended up running a 10g wire from the battery to the negative terminal and things are working out nicely!

So I organized all my wires and decided to take the bike for it's first ride in a while and I fired it up and it was awesome. Then I got on the bike to ride it and my clutch is still all over the place, it is basically dragging.

I think that is the term for it.. where pretend I am in neutral and pushing the bike around it's EASY right? Then if I put the bike in gear and try to push it around with the clutch in, there is a HUGE amount of resistance, shouldn't the act of pulling in the clutch basically make the bike feel like it is in neutral? It will also creep in first gear at a light like you are letting go of the clutch, but really I have it pulled 100% of the way in.

This is terrible, my clutch is so annoying because I think it is effecting my acceleration, gear change, all my important things and I just CAN NOT for the life of me get this cable adjusted right... is the clutch cable lube a huge thing?

[Legionnaire]

UPDATE: My electronics are actually not working beautifully

Okay so this was my day today, I rode my bike a couple miles, parked it, and left it for an hour came back out fired it up and everything was good!

Then I rode a couple more miles and pulled over and turned the bike off and tried to turn it back on only to find out my battery was below 5v! So the bike didn't even crank, but it slowly went back up to ~10v, one volt by one volt. I had to jump it to get it going and then I got to work and turned the bike off and checked the battery and it stayed at 12v.

I then got out of work and it was EXACTLY the same as I left it and I rode it home totally fine and then I got home and the second I turned the engine off all the dash lights went and checked it and it was at 3v. How weird is this?

I ride with my lights turned off, so the battery barely has to do anything.

I have grounded everything in the star configuration like you guys recommended. Thanks y'all!

[Steve]

I ride with my lights turned off, so the battery barely has to do anything.

Actually, the battery seldom has to do anything more than start the bike, but that's beside the point right now.

Going to go out on a limb here, ... which way do you turn the igntion key when you turn the bike off?
Do you ever use the PARK position at the far right?

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